The present invention relates to therapeutic footwear and, in particular, to an improved brace adaptable to conventional footwear to support the brace and resiliently restrain the foot against excessive ankle movement in predetermined axial directions, thereby providing therapeutic support and preventing ankle injuries.
Numerous injuries are sustained annually in a variety of sports by novice and experienced sports enthusiasts. Many of such injuries arise from insufficient support at the shoe relative to the ankle. That is, the footwear either provides no support to the ligaments, bone and cartilage structure of the ankle or insufficiently supports the ankle relative to normal foot movement. Some accommodate one area of concern, but none accommodate all concerns; that is, provide a comfortable fit, correct anatomic alignment and physiologic motion.
With the exception of downhill ski boots and rollerblade boots, essentially all shoes provide a softsided shell. Some shoes include special heel and insole cushioning and liners to protect and support the foot at a preferred registration to the ground. The cushioning, however, does not particularly support the ankle or lower calf from undue forces of inversion, eversion, extension, torsion or flexion. Such forces occur with normal foot movement or from unintended stress, such as placed on the ankle in contact sports.
Applicant is aware of various solutions which have been posed to the foregoing deficiencies. Such solutions have only piecemeal addressed the involved problems, as opposed to taking an integrated approach.
Applicant is particularly aware of U.S. Pat. Nos. 260,069; 1,441,067; 1,549,382; 1,692,896; and 4,719,926 which show various metal, sectional brace assemblies. Portions of the braces are pivotally supported to articulate with respect to one another and the shoe. The braces are not fastened to the shoe. The metal braces are also susceptible to failure at the pivot joints and present problems of abrasion and structural fatigue (i.e. bending or fracture) from repeated flexion.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,621,648 discloses another brace that separately mounts to the foot and includes straps that mount to the shoe, once the braced foot is inserted into the shoe. U.S. Pat. No. 4,821,743 discloses a shoe that contains formed pockets in the liner for receiving a resin formed ankle brace. The brace extends only the height of the shoe and is restrained only by the normal shoe fasteners, i.e. shoelaces. U.S. Pat. No. 3,613,273 shows still another cushioned collar for an externally supported brace of laminated construction. The latter braces are also intended to mount to only one surface of the leg and/or require specially formed shoes.
In contrast to the known art and commercially available shoes, Applicant believes a resilient brace which is fastened to the shoe and fitted to the foot and the lower calf provides a preferable support system to control ankle stresses. Such a brace also accommodates an after-market mounting to existing footwear, such as athletic shoes. U.S. Pat. No. 5,226,875 discloses alternative brace constructions considered by Applicant which provide such support.
The subject invention improves on the foregoing braces with still other alternative constructions that facilitate the attachment of the brace to the shoe, the alignment of the brace to the foot and the control of brace movement. One or more of the present braces can be supported to a shoe and be separately aligned to the opposing lateral surfaces of the ankle. The braces also allow custom fitting of the malleoli in the AP dimensions or longitudinal axis and an adjustment for rotation which adjustments are not possible with other known braces.